Single waler corner clamp



Oct. 8, 1968 s. R. CHANDLER SINGLE WALER CORNER CLAMP 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1965 Oct. 8, 1968 s. R. CHANDLER 3,404,862

SINGLE WALER CORNER CLAMP Filed Sept. 15, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f7 7 7 J! Hum INVENfbR \Smlvzfiy oy lV-Mmu 5/2,

Oct. 8, 1968 s. R. CHANDLER SINGLE WALER CORNER CLAMP 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 15, 1965 jwsu roe 41 I mlillllh United States Patent 3,404,862 SINGLE WALER CORNER CLAMP Stanley Roy Chandler, 1628 S. 6th Ave., Arcadia, Calif. 91006 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 449,897, Apr. 21, 1965. This application Sept. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 487,450

7 Claims. (Cl. 249-219) This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Serial No. 449,897 filed Apr. 21, 1965, now abandoned, and relates to corner clamping means for walers.

In the formation and construction of forms for poured concrete for buildings and the like, the forms are commonly formed of sheets of plywood reinforced on the exterior by horizontally extending members (usually 2 x 4s) which are known in the building trades as wales or, more commonly, as walers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple clamp for releasably engaging the adjacent ends of a pair of walers which form a corner and which, upon being tightened, serves to draw the engaged waler ends together in the desired angular relationship to each other which is usually a right angle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp of the above character which is applicable to a single waler at each side of a corner formed by a pair of walers.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a waler corner clamp which does not require mutilation of the waler surface for engagement therewith.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a waler corner clamp of the foregoing character which is light in weight, which is economical to produce, which is readily applied and removed, and in which the bolt component thereof is readily removed from or attached to the waler Engaging components by movement laterally of the bolt ody.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 s a top elevational view of a waler corner clamp constituting a first embodiment of the invention shown in a representative position of use,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view as viewed from the lower end of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view as viewed from the left hand side of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view as viewed in the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view from the right hand side of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention shown in the position of use,

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the nut engaging component of the invention as viewed from the right hand side of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is an exploded, perspective, fragmentary view of the bolt head engaging component of the second embodiment of the invention and of the parts associated therewith, and

FIG. 9 is a reduced scale, plan view of the sheet metal blank from which the clamp elements of the second embodiment of the invention is formed.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, both embodiments of the invention are shown as associated with the outside corner of a concrete form here shown as being formed by the juxtaposed edges of sheets of heavy plywood A and A which are reinforced on the outside thereof by horizontally extending lengths of 2 x 4's B and B which are known in the trade as walers and the present invention is directed to a corner clamp means for holding the ends of the walers together in the desired angular relation to each other. While practically all forms define right angle corners, it will be apparent as the description of the invention proceeds, that clamps embodying the principles of the invention but adapted for corners of either a greater or lesser angle than could be provided for such use.

Next, considering the first embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the clamp there shown comprises a pair of substantially identical clamp members here designated for convenience as a bolt head engaging member 1 and a nut engaging member 2, said members being interconnected by a bolt 3 having a head 4 and a nut 5 engaging the threaded end of the bolt. The member 1 comprises a pair of angle iron bars 6, 6 disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other with the legs 7, 7 thereof extending parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a waler to be engaged thereby. The other legs 8, 8 of the bars 6, 6 form the outer surface of the member and lie in a common plane. At their outer ends, the members 6, 6 are connected in the said spaced, parallel relation by a transversely extending shallow channel bar 9 welded to the legs 8, 8 thereof with the channel thereof extending outwardly and having a hole extending through the web portion midway between the adjacent faces of the channel member legs 7, 7 and through which the bolt extends, the sides 10, 10 of the channel member being spaced apart a distance suflicient to receive the head 4 of the bolt therebetween and thereby to keep it from turning. The opposite ends of the angle bars 6, 6 are cut across at an angle of 45 with respect of the plane of the outer surface of the legs 8, 8 and said opposite ends are interconnected in the said laterally spaced relation of the members 6, 6 by a thin metal plate 11 welded thereto. Intermediate their ends, the bars 6, 6 are also interconnected by a spacer member 12 (preferably cylindrical in cross section) said spacer member being disposed at a point at which it will engage the outer edge surface of the waler when the plate 11 is parallel to the inner edge surface of the waler as best shown in FIG. 1.

The clamp member 2 is substantially a mirror image duplicate of the member 1 and accordingly all similar parts have been identified by the same numbers as employed to identify the component parts of the member 1 with the addition of the exponent The member 2 differs only in that the bolt head engaging channel 10 of member 1 is replaced by .a somewhat wider flat plate 13 provided with an outwardly extending bolt receiving notch or slot 14 in which the threaded end of the bolt 3 is received, the outer face of the plate serving to be engaged by the nut 5, it being understood that, if desired, a washer may be interposed between the nut 5 and the plate 13.

In use, the members 1 and 2 are inserted over the adjacent ends of the respective walers B and B a distance so that the respective members 12 and 12 may engage the outer edge faces of the associated waler. The bolt 3 is normally previously mounted in the member 1 and is then inserted in the notch 14 of the plate 13 and the nut 5 tightened thereon. This produces a cramping or bending load or tendency on the adjacent waler ends causing them to tend to hold each other in position and thus reinforce the corner of the form. In those cases in which the form may be used to form a prestressed concrete element or welding component, the form members, or some of them, may additionally serve as a support for anchor members C operable to prestress reinforcing cable elements D extending through the concrete body. When the concrete has been set and the form is to be removed, upon loosening the nut 5 and removal of the bolt, the clamp members can be removed from the walers without having in any way damaged the ends of the walers which are thus in condition to be used elsewhere. Due to the fact that the use of this clamp does not require mutilation of the waler surface, this capacity of keeping the walers in condition for re-use causes this clamp to pay for itself in lumber savings with only a few uses thereof.

FIGS. 69 show a second embodiment of the invention in which the waler engaging members are identical and are formed principally from a sheet metal stamping. Since they are identical, a description of one Will serve for both.

In this embodiment of the invention, each clamp memher is formed from a heavy sheet metal blank such as shown in FIG. 9. The blank includes a center portion 16 having a bolt receiving slot 17 and parallel side portions 18, 18 which extend beyond the end 19 of the center portion which is opposite the slot 17 and terminate in angled end faces 20, 20. The blank is slitted for short distances between the end 19 and the side portions 18, 18 as at 21, 21 and also between the opposite ends of the side portions and the slotted end of the center portion as at 22, 22. The short, broad tongue portion constituting the end 19 formed by the slits 21, 21 is bent out of the plane of the center portion to form the fulcrum surface 23 which is comparable to the portions 12 and 12' of the first embodiment and the tongue elements 24, 24 of the side portions 18, 18 formed by the slits 21 are bent at right angles in the appropriate directions as best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The side portions are then bent on lines extending between the slits 21, 21 and 22, 22 so that the side portions extend in parallel side-by-side relation spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a waler and the direction of bending being such as to bring the bent ends of the tongue elements 24, 24 into engagement with the side surface of the center portion 16, it being noted that said ends oppose each other and border the slot 17 at substantially the axial line of the bolt 25 disposed in the slot. The angled ends 20, are interconnected by a thin metal shoe element 26 corrsponding in function to the connector members 11 and 11' of the first embodiment,

said shoe element having side flange portions 27, 27

overlying the outer surfaces of the side portions 18, 18 and being welded or brazed thereto. Preferably, the ends of the tongue elements 28, 28 which border the bolt receiving slots 17 are twisted slightly as shown to afford a better surface for striking said ends with a hammer or the like incident to initial adjustment of the clamp on a pair of walers.

The application of the clamps to a pair of walers is similar to that of the first embodiment. A pair of the clamp members is fitted over one each of the ends of a pair of walers which form an outside corner on a form, the bolt is inserted in the slots 17, 17 thereof and the nut 29 tightened thus causing the cramping and resultant waler gripping action as in the first embodiment. Incident to tightening the bolts, the head of the bolt may be held with one wrench while the nut is being rotated with another or, alternatively, a common form of bolt locking means as shown at 30 may be interposed between the bolt head 31 and the clamp member adjacent to the bolt head. In the form shown, this locking means comprises a short length of metal channel having side ribs 32, 32 adapted to straddle the bolt head and having an opening 33 extending therethrough for the reception of the body of the bolt, said opening being formed by striking opposed tongues 34, 34 out of the web of the channel and said tongues being of a width loosely engaging the slots 17 so that rotation of the locking means in the slot is prevented and thus, in turn, preventing rotation of the bolt head. Obviously, any other bolt head rotation preventing means may be employed. In dismantling the form, upon loosening of the bolt and removal from the pair of clamps, the clamp members can be readily removed from the ends of the walers, it being noted as in the first embodiment of the invention that the clamp does not require any mutilation of the waler ends for engagement therewith and thus preserves the walers in undamaged condition for re-use.

While in the foregoing specification there has been disclosed certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, the invention is not to be deemed to be limited to the precise details of construction thus disclosed by way of example, and it will be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and modifications in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A waler corner clamp adapted to interconnect the ends of two walers reinforcing an outside corner formed by the sides of a concrete form, said clamp comprising a pair of elongated, waler engaging elements each having an opening in one end thereof in which the end of one each of the walers is received, each of said openings including portions engaging the inner and outer edge surfaces of the waler engaged thereby and the opposite ends of said waler engaging elements each having a bolt receiving means, and a bolt engaging said bolt receiving means of both of said elements, said bolt having a head at one end thereof engageable with the surface adjacent to the bolt receiving means of one of said waler engaging elements and having a nut at the opposite end thereof engageable with a corresponding surface on the other of said waler engaging elements; the said portion of each of said elements which engage the outer edge surfaces of the walers being disposed to engage the said outer edges at points closer to the waler ends than the said portions which engage the inner edge surfaces of the walers, whereby when subjected to pressure applied by said bolt, said elements tend to cramp the waler ends inwardly toward the form.

2. A waler corner clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which the ends of the waler engaging elements in which the receiving openings are disposed are each formed by a thin metal plate adapted to lie between the outer surface of the form and the adjacent surface of the waler reinforcing the form.

3. A waler corner clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which said waler receiving openings in said elements are of a width slightly greater than the thickness of the waler to be engaged thereby and of such length as to be permitted to extend diagonally outwardly and toward the waler end at an acute angle relative to the length of the waler received therein.

4. A waler corner clamp as claimed in claim 3 in which the waler engaging end of each of said waler engaging elements is formed by a thin metal plate disposed at such an angle to the length of the element as to be parallel to the edge of the received waler when the element is disposed at said acute angle.

5. A waler corner clamp comprising a pair of elongated waler engaging elements and a bolt means having head and nut components, each of said clamp elements having a waler end receiving opening at one end thereof and a bolt engaging means at the opposite end; said bolt being operable to tend to draw said opposite ends toward each other; said waler receiving opening having a width slightly greater than the thickness of the waler end received therein and a length sufiiciently greater than the width of the received waler end to permit the waler engaging element to occupy a position at an acute angle to the length of the received waler with said element extending diagonally outwardly and toward the end of the received waler end and said waler engaging end of the clamp terminating in a thin metal plate forming the outer end of said opening and disposed to lie parallel to the adjacent edge face of the received waler when said clamp element is disposed at said acute angular relation to a waler engaged thereby and said opposite ends of said elements including surfaces which are engaged by said head and nut components of said bolt.

6. A waler corner clamp as claimed in claim 5 in which the end of said opening in said clamp elements opposite said plate engages the outer edge face of a waler and cooperates with said plate under the bias imposed by said bolt to grip the engaged waler against endwise movement thereon.

7. A waler corner clamp as claimed in claim 5 in which said bolt simultaneously exerts a tendency for angular movement of both of said clamp elements on the respective ends of a pair of walers reinforcing the corner forming components of a concrete form and holds the engaged waler ends together in the desired angular relationship between said ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,222,204 4/1917 Hansen 2691 15 X 1,359,597 11/1920 Holman 2691 17 1,552,334 9/1925 Mosher 249-219 2,572,366 10/1951 McGough 249219 X 15 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WALER CORNER CLAMP ADAPTED TO INTERCONNECT THE ENDS OF TWO WALERS REINFORCING AN OUTSIDE CORNER FORMED BY THE SIDES OF A CONCRETE FORM, SAID CLAMP COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED, WALER ENGAGING ELEMENTS EACH HAVING AN OPENING IN ONE END THEREOF IN WHICH THE END OF ONE EACH OF THE WALERS IS RECEIVED, EACH OF SAID OPENINGS INCLUDING PORTIONS ENGAGING THE INNER AND OUTER EDGE SURFACES OF THE WALER ENGAGED THEREBY AND THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID WALER ENGAGING ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A BOLT RECEIVING MEANS, AND A BOLT ENGAGING SAID BOLT RECEIVING MEANS OF BOTH OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID BOLTS HAVING A HEAD AT ONE END THEREOF ENGEGEABLE WITH THE SURFACE ADJACENT TO THE BOLT RECEIVING MEANS OF ONE OF SAID WALER ENGAGING ELEMENTS AND HAVING A NUT AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF ENGAGEABLE WITH A CORRESPONDING SURFACE ON THE OTHER OF SAID WALER ENGAGING ELEMENTS; THE SAID PORTION OF EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS WHICH ENGAGE THE OUTER EDGE OF SURFACES OF THE WALERS BEING DISPOSED TO ENGAGE THE SAID OUTER EDGES AT POINTS CLOSER TO THE WALER ENDS THAN THE SAID PORTIONS WHICH ENGAGE THE INNER EDGE SURFACES OF THE WALERS WHEREBY WHEN SUBJECTED TO PRESSURE APPLIED BY SAID BOLT, SAID ELEMENTS TEND TO CRAMP THE WALL ENDS INWARDLY TOWARD THE FORM. 